A key federal advisory panel this week is expected to begin considering an unprecedented ban on salmon fishing in California in response to an alarming collapse of a signature fishery. McIsaac cautioned that the cause of the salmon collapse remains a mystery and that researchers have a list of 46 potential factors to investigate. That list includes everything from disease, hatchery problems and an increase in predators to water diversions and a possible connection between the salmon collapse and the Delta's ongoing ecological crisis. The fishery management council, which meets through Friday in Sacramento, is expected to discuss the California salmon collapse on Tuesday with the goal of proposing three options for the fishing season by the end of the week. CC Times 3/09/08
Less than two months after a mandatory 30 percent cutback in agricultural water deliveries, some Southern California growers have begun "stumping" hundreds of healthy, well-nurtured avocado trees, putting them out of production for the next one to three years to leave more water for the rest of their trees. Their actions represent the downside of a water deal between area farmers and the region's water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District. Over the years, thousands of farmers signed up for a program that gave them discounted water in return for their willingness to be first in line for a water cutback. CC Times 3/09/08
A five-month Associated Press investigation has determined that trace amounts of many of the pharmaceuticals we take to stay healthy are seeping into drinking water supplies, and a growing body of research indicates that this could harm humans. But people aren't the only ones who consume that water. There is more and more evidence that some animals that live in or drink from streams and lakes are seriously affected. Pharmaceuticals in the water are being blamed for severe reproductive problems in many types of fish. AP 3/10/08
Other findings in the report show water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public "doesn't know how to interpret the information" and might be unduly alarmed. Also, anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California and a sex hormone was detected in the drinking water of San Francisco, California. CNN 3/10/08
Marin's six sewage-treatment agencies have been fined $681,000 for violations since 2000, with the biggest offenders being the Novato Sanitary District, fined $330,000 for 120 violations, and the Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District, fined $237,000 for 78 violations. But whether merger of the 10 sewer agencies lining Richardson Bay is needed, or ballot measures to repair miles of aging, leaky pipes are necessary, officials agree more communication is imperative. Marin Independent Journal 3/10/08
At UC's honey bee research center, scientists are seeking to breed new strains of the immensely valuable insects , while others are probing the recently sequenced bee genome to understand the most important qualities conferred upon each tribe by its unique genetic heritage. The researchers are bent on improving the ability of the bees to pollinate the flowering fruit trees and vegetables that account for more than $35 billion a year in crop value for California, and right now they hope to understand and perhaps halt the spread of the disease called Colony Collapse Disorder that has devastated the hives of many professional beekeepers in California and across the country. SF Chronicle 3/10/08
Everywhere, the cost of food is rising sharply. Whether the world is in for a long period of continued increases has become one of the most urgent issues in economics. Many factors are contributing to the rise, but the biggest is runaway demand. The high growth rate means hundreds of millions of people are, for the first time, getting access to the basics of life, including a better diet. That jump in demand is helping to drive up the prices of agricultural commodities. American agricultural exports are expected to increase 23 percent this year to $101 billion, a record. The world’s grain stockpiles have fallen to the lowest levels in decades. NY Times 3/09/08
While the real estate meltdown is draining billions of dollars from the capital region's urban economy, area fields and orchards are yielding some of the richest harvests in decades. It's the flip side of the rising cost of food: As global trends ranging from the weak dollar to the modernization of Asia drive up prices in supermarkets, they also boost the value of each pound of walnuts and sack of rice harvested in the Sacramento Valley. Sacramento Bee 3/09/08
The company that makes one of the pesticides state officials are considering spraying over the Bay Area to fight the light brown apple moth is owned by a wealthy California agribusinessman who has been a generous contributor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other state officials. SF Chronicle 3/08/08
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